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The Kamnara of Sakwa are making ground to build for future generations

Greetings from the Kamnara of Sakwa! The Kamnara people of Sakwa on 27th December 2024 gathered at Village Park, Ajigo (near Bondo). Hosted by Kwaka Joseph, they hearkened to the consultative forum call, arriving in good numbers and early enough for a successful day. The gathering was chaired by Mr. Nying’ro James Onyango, a former (retired) assistant commissioner of Police. The introductions were excellent. The genealogies were mentioned in reverence, lengthy ones applauded. And courtesy of Enos Oyaya’s book, “Kamnara my people”, anyone who would need help had the documentation. Oyaya had launched the Kamnara book on 30th December 2022 at his home in Kamnara Mwalo, an event that gathered Vakamnara from far and wide. “What can we do that the generations to come will benefit from?” This was the clarion Mr. Kwaka Joseph called on all to fashion their minds to. And issues were raised in the fields of Education, health, agriculture, enterprise, politics and more that the swift dholuo would...

A look into the History of Abanyore

There is no presence of Saniaga/Saniaka clan in the more than seventy clans and sub clans of avaNyore people. Not that avaNyore by themselves are a distinct group for but three that refer themselves as main Nyore people, the majority are said to have come from other communities and joined to form the avaNyore tribe.

Our interest is to redefine a tribe by having a deeper look at the clans. The tribe blanket, characterized by language and locality mainly fails to appreciate individual clan origins and expanse - key to integration and increased awareness of a people not limited to boundaries and language.

Prior to the establishment of vaNyore, the oral collections place muGusii, muKuria, muRogori and muNyore at par, probably of one ancestor. That they came from Buganda. There were those that went further south; Omuyoma, Etemo and Asembo. Here history is at a speculation. For five hundred year period is long a time to a community that had immediate leisure niceties as drinking local brew than participating in the mind search of establishing hierarchies. A considerable number of tales bring to air jealousy and hatred - it would be difficult for any kingship to sprout. Such organization would have preserved more of not only avaNyore but other tribes alike. Not as we had stated in the previous paragraph that clans outdo tribes. With their weakness.

Anyore II begot Amuri, Asirazi and Amutete. The indigenous clans of avaNyore. Anyore II was the son of Anyore that died in war. This name was takes from abaNyoro of Uganda where they had migrated from. It is the remainder clans that arouse interest - how they came, interacted, learnt language and settled to present. Till they are now termed as avaNyore.

AvaSiekwe, avaBayi, avaKanga, avaTongoi, avaMang'ari, avaYangu, avaMusira, avaSiraro, avaMurere, avaMukunzi, avaKuya, avaSubi, avaSirirori, avaSikare, avaSakami and a few others are all clans that equally settled in the present Bunyore region.

Interest for now is on two of the clans - avaMusila and avaYangu. Both of nilotic origin with vaMusila originally from Karachuonyo and avaYangu from Nandi (Kabarnet). Not that the other clans that have origin from neighbouring _luhya_ communities are of little interest but because of our desire to find Saniaga appearance in communities in Luhya and Nilotic. AvaSikare came from Maragori for instance, a boarder community.

AvaMusira from Karachuonyo to Kano and later to Bunyore is said to have been as a result of drought called Olwendede whereby people would run to kins yonder lest they have providence. It found a man called Anzara from the house of Musila already eloped with a girl from Bunyore at the famous ikisumiru (kisumiru) market. That is how he came to live and beget successors in Bunyore. There are also vaNyore in Kano and yonder. To mean that the friendships were long struck, the clans must have early broke in migration and acquisition of new language was no breakaway from one's roots.

AvaYangu had two houses. AvaTika and avaLupeku. They would separate over a kin kill. Some went to Ilesi. Some went to Tiriki. Some to Gusii and the parents to Maragoli. Very interesting. With origins from Kabarnet and a few generations later dispersing in this manner in fear of danger from the death of a kin might add an eye to the way we see tribes. There was room for expansion and migration. There were distance kins to run to.

The Tiriki stretch for instance is credited to avaNyore expansion and migration. Without avaNyore there would be no vaTiriki. For vaTiriki, as a tribe are not a people of one origin. Hence need to follow up on clans' history.

-/With Thanks
saniaga.org
saniaga.blogspot.com
info.saniaga@gmail.com
facebook.com/saniaga.org

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